Stereotypes About Adolescents

Adolescents go through various biological, cognitive and socio-emotional changes and there are certain attributes of these changes that can be observed in individuals going through this phase of life. It is important to keep note however that all adolescents vary in terms of sex, stage of development, life circumstances, socio-economic conditions of environment, etc.

Adolescents deal with many changes, from physical to social and emotional, which makes people think they are unpredictable and no longer the same person they were before. To make it ‘easier’ to deal with people going through this phase and predict behaviour, certain stereotypes have been established over time.

Certain stereotypes about adolescence that are widely believed are:

THEY ARE ARGUMENTATIVE AND ARROGANT.
Often adolescents are called ‘smart-alecks,’ ‘stubborn’ or ‘opinionated’ by people for their inquisitive and fierce nature when it comes to their beliefs. What people should try to understand is that they are going through rapid cognitive development and are newly exposed to controversial and abstract concepts such as morals and religion. Their questioning nature can seem argumentative at times but their purpose is to discover and understand these concepts.

THEY ARE DRIVEN BY SEXUAL URGES AND ROMANTIC FEELINGS.
There are too many examples of this in all types of society and culture; you can observe this from classic tales, such as Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet to the latest teen celebrity couple. Nobody seems to love with such gusto and reckless abandon as adolescents, and people believe this drive leads to poor decisions being made (a prime example of that being the aforementioned tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet). Adolescence is the time period where, due to hormonal changes and development of genitals, they are introduced to their sexual urges. Learning of this brand new set of emotions and social interaction can therefore cause adolescents to become sidetracked from other things.

THEY ARE REBELLIOUS, ESPECIALLY AGAINST THEIR PARENTS.
Conscience formation takes place at this time and they are also set on the path of discovering their self-identity. Their want to learn more and fit in which causes them to think that it is better to focus on friends more and divert to new role models, often people from the entertainment, sports and political field. This rearrangement of priorities often causes them to ‘talk back’ and question their parents motives. Other than that, their want for privacy and independence can also drive a wedge in their relationship with the elders of their lives.

THEY ARE LAZY AND EGOCENTRIC.
Adolescents being viewed as lazy is mostly because they always have better facilities and technology available compared to the previous generation. With every answer just a few clicks away on electronic devices and a better experience for entertainment on their laptops, it may seem that adolescents spend less time on more physical activities. As for egocentrism, this arises from the isolation we inflict on ourselves, making us feel as if there is no one who understands us. This also seems to make adolescents think mostly of themselves, as their problems seem to increase all the time.

THEY HAVE POOR JUDGEMENT AND MAKE RISKY DECISIONS.
The poster image of an adolescent that comes to the mind of most people is irresponsible and this is mostly due to the lack of trust in their decisions. They are at a point of life where adults want them to act mature and make responsible decisions independently but are still viewed as a child at the same time. This makes some of the logic used by adolescents as childish from an adult’s point of view and creates an immediate lack of trust in the mind of an adult. Their poor judgement also extends to participating in activities like taking drugs or drinking alcohol.

There is a belief held by adults that it is ‘today’s generation’ of adolescents that act in such a manner and that they need to be disciplined. It has been seen throughout history however that these behaviours have been observed in most adolescents. An example of this is how the clothing of today's Westernised adolescents is considered indecent but there was a time when poodle skirts were considered rebellious and our parents still used to wear them.

ARE THESE STEREOTYPES TRUE?

We would like to believe that holding such beliefs is unjust against adolescents as it is making a judgement without even making an effort to investigate, but all stereotypes hold grain of truth. The Grain of Truth hypothesis states that stereotypes must originate from some kind of truth in order to create a judgement. It can be however that the grain of truth arises from one experience seen from a biased point of view which can alter intentions behind certain behaviour.
Of course, stereotypes are not true of all adolescents and the actual observation of such behaviour is affected by various factors.

One thing that influences whether a teenager will be more or less like a stereotype is his or her culture, or the customs and beliefs of a certain group of people. For example, adolescents from collectivist cultures like India and China are seen as less rebellious while in individualistic cultures it is observed that adolescents are uncontrollable and wild.
Another factor that influences the expression of such behaviour in adolescents is the kind of content they have been exposed to through media. For example, the classic movie The Breakfast Club which shows how each character is suffering quietly in their own positions in society, no matter how it may look from the outside.

These stereotypes may have come to existence for a reason, but it seems that all it is doing is isolating adolescents even further from the rest of the society. Nobody wants to associate with someone with such qualities and adolescents don’t want to reach out in fear of being judged. It would be better for parents and other adults surrounding the adolescent to create an open and comforting environment to allow for proper communication. There is a lot that can be done to improve the conditions of ‘storm and stress’ in an adolescent when they know they are loved and accepted.